SLA alleged of forcing fleeing Tamils to strip and walk naked

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 April 2009, 14:47 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) personnel at the check posts in Jaffna, Vavuniyaa and elsewhere in Vanni subject both men and women coming from Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) held areas into SLA controlled areas to naked body checking before entering the check post, according to information given by the women held in the SLA detention centres to women representatives of Non-governmental Organizations in Jaffna. Though there are women SLA personnel at the check posts the women, irrespective of their age, have to undress at a distance from the check posts and walk naked to the check post where they are subjected to body check, the NGO representatives who visited the SLA detention centre in Jaffna said.

The same procedure is said to be followed in the SLA check posts in Vanni and Vavuniyaa.

The men coming from Liberation Tiger held areas too are subjected to the same procedure of checking.

Both men and women have to walk naked from a considerable distance from the checking cabin where they are examined closely.

Only after this checking, the civilians’ particulars are registered before being sent to the different SLA detention centres.

The civil society organizations in Jaffna including Women Welfare Associations have expressed their strong condemnation of this particular manner of body check by SLA soldiers.

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